Chinese Whiskers; Pallavi Aiyar

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this novel other that
knowing it was narrated by (2) cats who live in Beijing. I was thought
might be a pleasant change from all the stories I've read that were told
from a dog's perspective.

The (2) cats are former strays who have lead very
different lives prior to be adopted by a foreign couple who named them
Soyabean and Tofu. Soyabean is a ginger-colored, handsome male -- picture
future model for a pet food company. He grew up as a stray in a middle
class area. Life on the street was easy for him compared to that of Tofu.
Tofu, is a petite dark colored female. She was the only female in a
litter of five and sadly had been a dust bin kitten. A kind old man fed
her mama scraps of food and an occasional bowl of milk , but life on
the streets was rough. Tofu's mom told her and her brothers that they
were descended from royalty and that she had a wealthy life-style until
the communist revolution changed things.

Their new owners were kind to the two cats and fed them
well, but suddenly their world changes when the SARS outbreak hits,
and, the tainted pet food scandal makes it unsafe for cats to roam
outdoors. Hysteria runs rampant and stray cats everywhere are being
rounded up.

In a nut shell, this book was just okay IMO. Told in
alternating chapters from each cat's POV, I initially enjoyed the
insight into the Chinese culture and beliefs. Some of the cats musings
left me with something to thing about, however brief. Added to the book
was a short glossary of Chinese words and their meanings which was a
plus.The story seemed a bit strange overall, but in the end the cat's
triumph.

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